Jail for men who raped family member

Three men were given long jail sentences today for repeatedly raping a family member as she grew from young child to mature woman.

The victim was assaulted between the ages of five and 22 and became pregnant at 14. She was locked in a wardrobe when visitors called so her condition would not be spotted. After the child was born she was separated from the baby and flown to India for an arranged marriage.

Judge Patrick Curran, who oversaw the case at Cardiff crown court, said the woman had been treated like an unpaid and unwilling prostitute. Outside court police praised the woman, now 27, for her bravery in giving evidence and called for other such victims to come forward.

The woman's step-uncle, 55, and stepfather, 50, were jailed indeterminately, with terms recommended of 20 and 15 years. Her step-cousin, 27, was jailed for 12 years. None of the men, from Cardiff, can be named to protect the identity of the victim.

Marion Lewis, prosecuting, told the court that as the girl's pregnancy began to show, her family made her hide away. "She was hidden, sometimes in a wardrobe, and visitors were told she'd gone back to India," she said.

The prosecution claimed the woman's mother beat her all over her body, apart from the face, with a curtain pole when she found out she was pregnant. The victim believed her mother knew about the abuse, the court heard.

Lewis continued: "When the baby was born the girl's parents told friends and neighbours it was their own – before flying their daughter to India for an arranged marriage." The woman returned to the UK when she was 18 and the abuse continued. Finally in 2008 she went to the police and told them about the abuse.

DNA tests showed the step-uncle was the father of her child. He was convicted of seven counts of rape, three of indecency with a child, and one of indecent assault. The step-father and the cousin were each convicted of three rapes. Both the step-uncle and step-father are illegal immigrants, who will be deported after they have served their sentences.

Sign up for the Guardian Today

Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning.